ArchArad's Corner (WIPs and Painting Goodness!)

[Zab]

Take a break. Look for inspiration elsewhere. Paint something else like watercolors or oils. Try another genre like terrain. Read some books or watch some movies, maybe try your hand at converting a mini or sculpting one. Strip him and start over. Mash him up with a hammer because it's all his fault anyway. Just have fun and don't feel the need to "finish" everything. It's a hobby not a race or a competition You're in a funk and sometimes it's just the process of painting or hobbying you need more than a defined result. y a 3 color challenge. Grab a random 3 colors and start painting without a plan, try wet on wet and see if you can finish a mini in one sitting with those 3 colors. Make some art out of a mini it doesn't have to be recognizable as a mini or a theme - just like an abstract 3D painting Hope that helps!

 

[Teronus]

Change everything around you until you find comfort.

 

[SaintToad]

hmmm... If you haven't done it, maybe basecoat the rest of the mini? Sometimes if I just put some basic color blocking down, I can see the potential in the mini and my idea, instead of focusing solely upon the flaws in the part I'm working on at the moment. I often find that my motivation is at its lowest ebb when I'm on either end of a project, but, at the outset, sometimes I can trick myself into envisioning the progress I haven't actually made by just suggesting it with some color. It also tends to help me 'break through' when I'm not happy with e.g. the skin tone or hair, by giving me some context to work with.
Another trick I do is just sit in bed while I fall asleep and plan some super awesome new project (that will likely never become real). Usually I imagine its future transcendence so vividly that I go through the next day very eager to get to work with my paints. If you want to continue with your mage, for instance, that anticipation and excitement and energy that you generated is real, even if you redirect it. Or just pour it into something new!

 

[Auberon]

As long as you have fewer than 20 minis staring down at you from your shelf of shame, you are ok. More than that though and their combined powers can overwhelm you, so be cautious about sitting too many aside. Their (possibly yet unpainted) eyes don't follow you around the room, imploring you to paint them. It's all in your head. Really. :devil: They never rearrange themselves in the middle of the night either.

 

[YetiSA]

Speed paint starting... now

Give yourself two hours to finish him. Base, wash, brief highlight, off you go.
You haven't wasted weeks on a model you don't enjoy and haven't abandoned the project either. Plus, it's good to stretch yourself sometimes and try something that you aren't familiar with so it's not a wasted exercise.

 

[ten ball]

Arch you wont snap out of your no painting loop until you have finished a mini. Pick a small fun mini (like a goblin) and paint him over a two two hour session (4 hrs). Dont compare him to any other paint jobs just paint him like you havent got any internet access. See how it turns out.

 

[ArchArad]

Once again I am amazed by the great bunch of people who read this thread. :worship:

Thank you. Watch this space for progress.

 

[BloodASmedium]

PPick an easy model like ten ball mentioned,but make sure it's a great quality sculpt.muscle tone face traits etc.then keep reminding yourself as you begin paintjng him ,to slow down your painting and take extra care to do each part right.you'll see the fire comeback

 

[MAXXxxx]

I'm just not feeling any kind of connection to this wizard. ...
I could put him to one side and pick something else (Lord knows I have options), but I've put aside a couple of minis recently and I don't want it to become a habit.
...
Thoughts? Advice?

if you have no connection to it, then the best is to sell it or give it to someone who wants it and buy a model, that you like and what is not a hassle to paint.

Forcing yourself to paint it is just a sure way to start to hate painting minis.

 

[Maenas]

I've been there too Arch, you can try some of the wonderful advice you are given and see if it works.
Sometimes putting some music on and fiddling around with some miniatures (putting them in order, cleaning, filing, watching them...) works.
I personally liked a lot what Zab has commented.... thank you, Zab because I will keep those words for me too.

Definitely we are trained to put pressure upon ourselves even in our own hobbies and freetime... should we all become 2 year old children having fun painting the walls with our fingers.... xD

 

[KruleBear]

Such great advice on this page. I am rooting for you!

 

[oistene]

Yeah, sometimes you find that you just don't enjoy a certain project. What I do, is that I either put it away, possibly forever, or, in most cases as pretty much everything I paint is something I 'need' to finish, I rush it, not caring if it gets good or bad. Once in a while, I change my mind about it while rushing, I start to enjoy it and it gets good.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Shelagh, don't worry.

 

[Giuseppe]

Ehy ArchArad, I just saw you're from South Africa, I'm from Johannesburg, nice to see there are some other model painters out there, apart from us who paint game miniatures.

One of these days I would like to organize something like a showday for painters at our club, I tried to look for some kind of historical / display painter community but didn't find anything. Do you know if something like this exist in pretoria o joburg?

Great work by the way. Oh and I see you play Skorne, if you're in Joburg come to Warzone to catch a game

 

[Digganob]

DAM GIRL, you got the entire internets rooting you on. You should def not have a problem now.

 

[ArchArad]

View attachment 43990​

I am humbled, amazed and grateful.

 

[ArchArad]

Here we go....again!

I decided it was time to do something completely different, so I dug through my meager collection of non-GW minis and decided on my new project.

It's Malifaux's Avatar of Imagination featuring The Dreamer and Lord Chompy Bits (yes, that is the monster's real name - isn't it great!?). I've kept The Dreamer separate so I can work on them properly, so here's the box art for you to get an idea of the full piece:

View attachment 44026​

And here's where I'm at after a couple of hours tonight:

View attachment 44027 View attachment 44028​

I've just started on him, but I'm pretty happy so far. The bricks will have a lot more work done on them, but I needed to get the basics in. With regards to the portal - more layers of base colour need to go down. I'm thinking about having more green toward the edge and swirling into blue near the centre. So this green-blue base colour is there to tie it together.

Edit: I have nothing against my GW minis. I brought them because they appealed to me. But I felt like I needed something with a different style to it and the Malifaux sculpts I have are delightfully surreal and creepy.

 

[KruleBear]

Malifaux has a neat range of minis and you are off the o a good start on this one.

 

[Teronus]

I second KB and yeah what a cool mini, have fun sheelagh. (hope I got your nick right, have a hard time remember for some reson LOL)

 

[ArchArad]

Thanks KB and Teronus - glad you like where he's at for now.

Teronus - You were really close! My name's spelt Shelagh, so just one "e" less.